Poulsen Signs

Poulsen has signed for the Pool for an intial fee of £4.5 Million possibly rising to £5.5 depending on appearances. We only pay 2.25 this year and the same next.

Ready made replacement for Mascherano.

This is good business for several reasons. Firstly it means we are under no pressure to sell Mascherano which changes the situation from one of we need to sell him to replace him. Stops Barca and Inter from trying to negotiate his fee down. Secondly it sends a positive message to the the rest of the squad.

How must Benitez be feeling now under a Chairman who won't buy the player he wants, that Benitez valued at £35 Million last year for £25 Million now. His chairman has also told him he won't buy anyone until he brings in funds from sales. Well Rafa what are you going to do now? Start bleating to the press and the supporters groups that you are getting no support?

Great Dane: Christian Poulsen has become Roy Hodgson's third summer signing at LiverpoolJavier Mascherano's race is well and truly run at Liverpool after the Merseysiders swooped for a ready-made replacement.Christian Poulsen has moved to Anfield in a deal worth £4.5m from Italian giants Juventus, becoming Roy Hodgson's third summer signing.

The Denmark international has spent the last two years in Serie A having moved there from Sevilla in Spain. History tells us the 30-year-old never shirks a challenge. He is well versed in the dark arts and has been known to get into a fair share of scraps. He's even riled Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti during a Champions League match at the San Siro.

Here Sportsmail tells you 10 things you need to know about Liverpool's new enforcer, Christian Poulsen...Was originally an attacking midfielder until he left Denmark to join Schalke in 2002. He had scored 10 goals in 45 games for FC Copenhagen

Announced himself to the world with a man of the match performance against France during the 2002 World Cup. Poulsen marked legend Zinedine Zidane out of the game as the Danes eliminated Les Bleus, and his absence through suspension was sorely felt in the second round defeat to England

His transfer fees total £14m

Was the first player to be named Danish Player of the Year for two consecutive years after winning the award in both 2005 and 2006. Also won the Danish Under-21 award in 2001.

Out of this world: Poulsen was one of the stars in a disappointing Danish World Cup campaignWon the UEFA Cup with Sevilla in 2007, after they beat Espanyol on penalties in the Final after a 2-2 draw.

In the 2004 European Championships, television replays showed that Italian forward Francesco Totti had spat on Poulsen during a match. Totti received a three-match ban and was forced to issue a public apology, though he claimed he was provoked repeatedly the Dane during the match.

A further spat ensued at the end of the second leg with Milan. With Milan victorious, Gennaro Gattuso confronted and taunted Poulsen about the result. The Dane responded by saying that he found Gattuso childish and hoped he felt embarrassed for himself.

In June 2007 during a Euro 2008 qualifier Poulsen was again involved in cotroversy after he punched Swedish striker Markus Rosenberg in the stomach with the game locked a 3-3 in the last minute. Poulsen's was red carded and a penalty was given. However after an angry Danish fan ran on the pitch and attempted to kick referee Herbert Fandel, the game was abandoned and Sweden awarded a 3-0 victory. Poulsen made a public apology for his actions and was suspended for three matches. Following the Sweden match charges were pressed against Poulsen for the punch on Rosenberg. Danish Minister of Justice Lene Espersen called for Poulsen's exclusion from the national team, though the case was eventually dismissed and Poulsen was free to be called up again.

How do you think he'll fit into Liverpool's team and what will he add?

With Javier Mascherano on his way to Italy, he will certainly fill a hole in midfield for the Reds.

He will add experience and stability in front of the back four. Poulsen is an intelligent player who knows his strengths and weaknesses, which I think is a quality in itself. And just like Mascherano he will allow others more freedom to attack.

Do you think it is a good deal for Liverpool? How is the move viewed in Denmark?

It's certainly not as bad a move as some fans have been suggesting, but Poulsen isn't likely to be the missing piece in any jigsaw. And he obviously isn't as strong as Javier Mascherano, let's be clear about that.

But he's a decent player who I think will be a good option in the squad and in the starting XI for certain games.

So far, people are divided about the move in Denmark.

We've seen here what he can do for the national side and he has long been regarded as Denmark's strongest midfielder, certainly defensively, but people are unsure of whether he'll be able to cope with the tempo in the Premiership. But there is always a certain element of pride about it when Danish players sign for big clubs in Europe.

How successful was his time in Italy?

Expectations were high when he joined Juventus from Sevilla, but he never quite lived up to them. But after a difficult start with injuries and speculation over a sale last summer he did fight to win back a place in the Juve side last season. And I believe Juve fans were far more unhappy with Felipe Melo's contribution than Poulsen's.

My personal view is that one of the many reasons they struggled last season was the fact that they had too many defensively minded central midfielders stepping over each others' toes.

At 30 are his best days behind him? How will he cope with the Premier League?

Probably, but I think he is much more mature and much cleverer now than in the past. He isn't quite the same player as he was in his youth, but who is?

Poulsen's biggest challenge will be adjusting to the tempo of games in England, but that's the same for every player. If Hodgson uses him, dare I say, correctly, I think he can become a steady player for Liverpool.